The motet Absalon, fili mi is a stunningly beautiful example of Franco-Flemish polyphony. Ascribed to Josquin des Prez (ca. 1450-1521), the work may also have been composed by Pierre de La Rue (ca. 1452-1518). The earliest known manuscript was copied sometime between 1509 and 1523 by Petrus Alamire (ca. 1470- ca. 1534) who was a scribe known to have worked closely with La Rue. This source mentions no composer at all, but the work does exhibit aspects of La Rue’s style which are not found in Josquin. For instance, the low register of the bassus is characteristic of La Rue’s work. The first attribution to Josquin appears in a German collection ca. 1540 - long after his death and far from his homeland which calls the veracity of the attribution into question. Also, this source attributes a few other works to Josquin that were probably not written by him. Thus, we cannot be entirely certain who wrote this work.
Here it has been arranged for Tuba Quartet.